Quint Kessenich has traveled across the United States as a reporter and analyst for ESPN and ABC.

He’s stood on sidelines watching teams of every shape and size while they practice.

From 5-year-olds playing lacrosse to NFL powerhouses, there is one truism Kessenich has learned:

Coaches who use their time efficiently and keep the athletes active get the most out of practice sessions.

“I recently watched an unnamed Baltimore (lacrosse) club team ‘practice,’” Kessenich wrote in insidelacrosse.com. “The youngsters are what their parents perceive to be all-stars.

“This ‘practice’ was multiple repetitions of poor technique followed by disorganized full-field scrimmaging. That’s it. Repeating bad fundamentals isn’t accomplishing anything. Running around aimlessly during a full-field scrimmage won’t make you better.”

USA Football agrees.

Youth football coaches generally have three or four hours a week to prepare their teams. What they do during that time not only determines a team’s chances for success but each athlete’s opportunity to build the foundation of skills needed to succeed on higher levels.

To help with this, USA Football offers Practice Planners for all levels of youth football coaching, free with a coaching membership.

Coaches can drag and drop drills into their daily practice schedule or print out age-appropriate USA Football-recommended plans for an entire season.

Whether for a veteran staff looking to organize practice routines they have honed through the years or a rookie head coach who needs to start from scratch, USA Football makes it easy to use your practice time wisely.

 

Video: Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis shares his view on practice planning.

 

Get more Playing Tips From the Pros in the USA Football video library.